This easy keto fudge with cocoa powder is chewy, chocolatey and perfectly sweet, even though it is made without any sugar. Even better, each piece has 0 net carbs.
I made a batch of my Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge last week. It is delicious and I have been eating a square every day.
But every time I wondered: Why have I never tried making a chocolate fudge without peanut butter?
After all, I have a dedicated keto peanut butter fudge recipe, but no classic fudge!
Without further ado, I went into recipe creation mode. And here is the result: the creamiest, richest and most decadent keto chocolate fudge you can imagine.
I made the recipe four times until I arrived at the perfect ratio of ingredients. I know exactly what works - and what does not work. I learned the hard way!
In this post, I will show you how to make smooth and fail-safe sugar-free fudge with cocoa powder and sugar-free condensed milk.
It tastes just like authentic chocolate fudge. You won't believe how chewy and yummy it is.
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🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Creamy, chewy fudge texture
- Deep chocolate flavor
- Naturally gluten-free
- Sugar-free and keto friendly
- Only 5 ingredients and 0.8g net carbs per square
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need:
- Heavy Cream - This is also called heavy whipping cream or double cream.
- Butter - I used salted butter for additional flavour. Unsalted butter is also an option.
- Allulose - This is the best sweeter for this fudge recipe because it does not recrystallise like other zero-carb sugar substitutes. Allulose melts just like sugar.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Vanilla Extract - Optional, but it does improve the flavour.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Instructions
It's surprisingly easy to make this keto chocolate fudge recipe. Here are the basic steps.
For detailed instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
Step 1: First, make the keto condensed milk. Put the heavy cream, butter, allulose and vanilla extract into a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
Step 2: Simmer the mixture over medium to low heat for 20 minutes until golden and thickened. Stir regularly. Towards the end, stir continuously.
Step 3: Turn off the heat and stir in the unsweetened cocoa powder.
Step 4: Pour the fudge mixture into a dish that you have lined with parchment paper.
Put the fudge in the freezer until it has fully set. Then, cut it into 16 squares with a sharp knife.
Expert Tips
Stir the condensed milk regularly while it is cooking on the stovetop. Towards the end of cooking, stir it continuously. This way, it can thicken as much as possible and does not burn.
Allulose really is the best sweetener for this recipe, because it sets so smooth. I first used it in my chewy keto toffee.
Warm the knife blade before cutting and clean the knife between cuts.
Recipe Variations
Dairy-free option: It is easy to make a dairy-free sugar free fudge. Simply replace the cream with coconut cream and use coconut oil instead of the butter.
Another idea is to omit the cocoa powder and make a classic butter fudge. For this, add an additional tablespoon of butter. Also, cook the condensed milk for a further 5 minutes until it turns into a darker caramel.
Or how about peppermint chocolate fudge? Add ½ teaspoon mint extract to the mixture.
Last but not least, you could add a keto caramel swirl to the fudge.
Toppings
I topped my keto fudge with coarse sea salt flakes. Here are other ideas for toppings:
- Chopped nuts. Chopped pecans are my favourite option. Walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts also work. Toasting the nuts first increases their flavour.
- Unsweetened desiccated coconut or toasted coconut flakes.
- Freeze-dried raspberries or sugar free dried cranberries
- Grated orange zest
Recipe FAQs
Sugar-free fudge is very low in carbs. One square of this chocolate fudge contains only 0.8g net carbs.
I recommend allulose. It is the only zero-carb sugar substitute that sets smooth and does not re-crystallise as it cools.
Yes. You can use erythritol or erythritol monk fruit sweetener blends such as Lakanto. Bocha Sweet, Swerve or xylitol will also work. It is very important to use a powdered sweetener. Granulated sweeteners will give the fudge a gritty texture. Also, if you are not using allulose, reduce the sweetener amount by 1 tablespoon.
I don't recommend it because sugar free chocolate seizes easily when heated. This causes the fudge to separate. After two failed attempts, I made one successful fudge version using sugar-free chocolate chips instead of cocoa powder. I found that once the melted chocolate is added, the mixture firms up very quickly. It was not as smooth as the version with cocoa powder.
No, the recipe is not suitable for the microwave.
Store keto chocolate fudge in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Or, store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. I think it tastes best straight from the freezer.
Serving Suggestion
We like to eat a square of fudge in the afternoon with a cup of keto iced coffee or almond milk matcha latte.
Keto chocolate fudge is also a delicious mini dessert.
Related Recipes
- Keto Candied Pecans10 Minutes
- Coconut Haystacks40 Minutes
- Keto Peanut Butter Cups (like Reese's)30 Minutes
- Keto Peanut Butter Bars2 Hours 15 Minutes
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Recipe
Keto Fudge With Cocoa Powder
Equipment
- 5x5 inch container
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream 240ml
- ⅓ cup allulose 70g (use ¼ cup for powdered erythritol blends or any other 1:1 powdered sweetener))
- 2 tablespoon butter 28g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder unsweetened, 30g
Instructions
- Put the heavy cream, butter, allulose and vanilla extract into a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
- Simmer the cream mixture over medium to low heat for 20 minutes until golden and thickened. Stir regularly. Towards the end, stir continuously.
- Take the cream mixture off the heat and let it cool to lukewarm.
- Stir in the unsweetened cocoa powder. Taste and adjust sweetener, if necessary.
- Pour the fudge mixture into a 5x5 inch dish that you have lined with parchment paper. Option to top with coarse sea salt flakes once it has cooled a little.
- Put the fudge in the freezer for around 1 hour or until it has fully set. Then, cut it into 16 squares with a sharp knife.
Amanda
This fudge tastes amazing! But it turned out more like pudding consistency. I followed the directions exactly as directed the only difference is I used allulose/monkfruit blend fruit blend, which I use in all my baking. I was bummed because the taste is so great. I will try make it again and hopefully next time it will set better
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Amanda, it sounds like you may need to cook the fudge for longer next time so it can firm up better. Perhaps store this batch in the freezer, that way it will set.
Mehreen
I love all your recipes! I had one question. If I leave out the cocoa powder, can I just call it white chocolate or vanilla/milk fudge? Will it retain the same fudgey texture?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, here is how to do it (I explained it in the post): For classic butter fudge, add an additional tablespoon of butter. Also, cook the condensed milk for a further 5 minutes until it turns into a darker caramel.
Ilektra
Can I add hazelnut butter to make it taste more like Nutella? If yes should I just replace the butter in the recipe?
Katrin Nürnberger
You definitely cannot replace the butter with hazelnut butter. That would not work. But, you could add in a little hazelnut butter at the end to get the flavour.
Rhian
Just a warning...I thought I'd wait and add the vanilla at the end with the cocoa powder (to preserve the flavor, we love vanilla at our house). The alcohol in the extract completely separated the butter out -never to return! Opps.
Katrin Nürnberger
Oh what a shame! I guess you could use vanilla bean powder next time, which you can add at the end without issues. Other than that, definitely stick to the way I made the recipe, which cooks and evaporates the alcohol you may have in your extract.
Kate
These were delicious! I didn’t have anything smaller than an 8x8 but I just double the recipe and used that and it was great! My son loved them and even my husband, who can’t stand any sweetener other than plain old sugar, said they were delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Amy
I just made this and while the texture was great, it had a very strong caramel and almost bitter taste. Did I maybe cook it to long or a too high of a temperature?
Katrin Nürnberger
That's possible. The flavour will intensify as you reduce liquid. I am wondering about the bitter taste though. Could you share which sweetener brand you used?
Amy
I used the wholesome allulose in the green package.
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Amy, I think that the bitter taste could have been caused by the temperature being too high.
Kate
can you use coconut cream or milk instead of heavy cream?
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Kate, coconut cream should be a good alternative to heavy cream. It is a little lower in fat than heavy cream, which means you may need to cook it down for longer to remove all the liquid.
Tove Sama
Oh WOW, the JOY!! Best ever fudge, will have to make some more for Easter
Cindy
Super easy and VERY satisfying when you want that POP of chocolate. My hubby loves PB, so I added 3 tbsp, which changes the nutritional numbers a bit. HIGHLY advise you to make this!
Janet
Oh my, thank you for offering this recipe! It is unbelievably delicious!!
Katrin Nürnberger
So happy you are enjoying the fudge!